RE: Bob Ryan being stupid again

[Theresa Mostaffa <ta_most429@xxxxxxxxx>]

Forget race. Now basketball analysts can't even be honest in their
opinions of basketball teams. Billy Packer has been crucified for two
weeks for, as far as I can tell, doing his job. He said St. Joe's didn't
deserve a No. 1 seed. For a week before the NCAA selection show, in the
wake of the loss to Xavier, everyone was asking if St. Joe's still would
get a No. 1 seed. They get the No. 1 and Billy Packer says they
shouldn't have-he's answering the question everyone was asking before
the selection show. He says what a lot of people are thinking - St.
Joe's has a good record, didn't play anyone really good and isn't on the
same level as UConn, Duke, etc. And what does Billy Packer, who gets
paid to say things like that, get for his trouble? He gets absolutely
buried by the rest of the media. Why? Because he dared to pick on tiny,
spunky, everybody-loves-em St. Joe's. Even saying "this team isn't as
good as that team" now is subject to PC review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                         The problem with  Packer wasn't what he said, but how and when he said it, and it was partly CBS's fault.  For teams like St Joe's,  moments like being picked as a number 1 seed for the Big Dance come around once in a blue moon.  It's a wonderful vehicle for recruiting future players and selling your university to potential students everywhere.  They had a gym full of players and fans watching the program.  They had a national TV audience waiting to hear all about the storybook season and what it has meant to the University.  Instead, as soon as it is announced you get Packer, in his normally classless way, talking about how they would never be in that position if they had been in a better conference and how absurd it was that they got a #1 seed over Oklahoma State and Texas (two Big 12 teams by the way, not ACC).  Well, guess what?  Nobody knows what St Joe's record would have been had they
 been in a larger conference.  Not Billy Packer, not the tournament committee, not you or me.  They went out and played the teams they were scheduled to play and they won.  So, yes, they  deserved to be rewarded.  And I say that as a fan who was at Oklahoma States first and second round games and was rooting for them rather loudly.  As for Packer, he is untitled to his opinion.  In fact he is paid for it.  But he should have let St Joe's enjoy their moment in the sun right after the announcement, and then voiced his opinion on the number ! seeds later in the show.  CBS should have known what was coming and at least let the coach give his spiel before he had the hammer dropped on his program.   If that had happened there would be no controversy and we wouldn't be having this discussion, IMO.                  TAM                                                                                                                    

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